


How the Conversation Ends

by Bonfoi



Category: Dominion (TV)
Genre: Conversations, M/M, One Shot, Romance, Sex, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:00:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22748968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonfoi/pseuds/Bonfoi
Summary: Words...they keep us going or tear us down...and when they are the last ones of God, they are powerful, but only in the right hands.
Relationships: Alex Lannon & Michael, Alex Lannon/Michael, Gabriel & Michael (Dominion & Legion)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	How the Conversation Ends

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** _This story is based on characters and situations created by Vaun Wilmott and loosely based on the 2010 film Legion, written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended._
> 
> * * *

~*~*~*~*~*~

"On your knees."

"Oh, fuck you. Again."

_Thwack!_

"You're still insolent."

" _Nuh_ , and you're still an asshole."

_Thwack, crack!_

"Are we going to do this every day, Alex?"

_Splat!_

"That answer your question, Gabriel?"

"Ow, asshole, that hurt!"

"Oh, suck it up, pretty boy. I'm getting bored with your recalcitrance."

"Different day, same response: Fuck. You."

_The sound of a body, a human body, being kicked went on for several minutes._

"Now, shall we begin again?"

"Only if you fuck yourself on your sword…"

"Take him away! Just fucking take him away!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Gabriel."

"Michael. So, we remember each other's names. What now, brother mine?"

"I've come for Alex."

"Huh, just like that. All moody and melodramatic you are. How theatrical."

_Snick. Snick._

"Why draw your swords on me, Michael? I haven't harmed your precious Chosen One. Much."

_Growling._

"Where. Is. He. Gabriel?"

"Finders, keepers, Michael. Surely you've learned that by now."

_Ssslick._

"Michael, I don't want to hurt you. You're dearer to my than my own self."

_Clang!_

"Once you were my heart, Gabriel, now you are nothing but an impediment."

_CLANG!_

"That…you cut me! You cut your own brother!"

_Sigh._

"Are we done yet, Gabriel?"

_Crash! Clang!_

"No, brother mine, we will never be done."

"As Alex would say, 'Fuck you, Gabriel.'"

_Arrhh!_

Then, silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The door to his cell opened with a grating whine. He hurt too much to even roll over and cuss out Gabriel. Maybe if he played dead, the asshole would come back later.

There was a different vibe from the presence at his back and curiosity finally got him to roll over onto his aching back.

Knees hit the stone floor, making Alex wince—he'd done that a few times and still had the bruised bones to attest to it. Focusing was harder than usual, but he tried, squinting at the dark shadow next to his cot. "Oh, you got here."

Michael didn't say a word. He reached out and cupped Alex's cheek tenderly. He blinked rapidly, a sure sign he was fighting the human emotions he'd only recently come to recognize. Alex grinned, ignoring the pain of that light caress.

"I tried to convince your brother that I couldn't read the tattoos," he whispered.

Michael bent his head closer and spoke directly to Alex's shoulder. "I should not have allowed you to go."

Shaking his head in spite of how it throbbed, Alex chuckled weakly. "Well, we'll argue about this later, okay? I think I want to home now."

The tender hand on his cheek left, but soft lips pressed an actual angel's kiss to the spot. "I'll get your tunic. Can you get up by your—No, you can't." Michael grabbed the blanket thrown against the wall and, carefully maneuvering Alex into a sitting position, he wrapped it around the injured man's shoulders. With great care, he picked up Alex and cradled him to his chest.

"If I could stand up, I'd kick your ass," Alex muttered against Michael's throat.

"If you could stand, I might let you."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The flight back toward Vega was through a sudden, stinging sandstorm. Michael had to land somewhere soon, the grit was sticking in his feathers and choking the both of them. Warily, Michael descended, listening intently to the sound of sand striking, or not striking, a building, something solid. Tense moments later, he stood on his two feet, wings folded close behind him.

Alex hadn't spoken for over ten minutes, another reason to seek shelter. Michael's heart beat even faster than when he was flying through the heart of the storm. Alex was the world's hope and here he was, once again, endangering him.

_Cough._

It wasn't so much the sound as the action, and Michael's heart leapt for joy, and then slowed its racing beat. "I think I've found somewhere to hide for now. Are you doing all right?"

The feeling of Alex nodding tiredly into his chest gave Michael a reason to smile. The suddenly revealed solid door of a building got him to grin.

Using his shoulder, he pushed it open. Once inside, he listened. There was no scrabbling of unholy feet on the walls or the susurration of Lishepus through cracked lips. It was as still as a tomb, which Michael amended after he set Alex down to close and barricade the door. It truly was as still as a library.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Who turned out the lights?" Alex muttered.

"No one. I found us shelter." Michael gaze searched the entry way of the old building. Built in the early days of the last century it was solid, heavy. It reminded him of the old temples thousands of years ago, a fortress that might yet save Man's future enlightenment.

"Any water?" Alex's lips were parched from his time in Gabriel's not-so-tender care and the sand storm hadn't helped any. He didn't try to keep his eyes open, either. He was just too beat up.

"I will settle you somewhere safe first." Michael checked the doors on either side of the entrance. One led to a bathroom and a random flick of the switch showed that somehow, there was still electricity. That meant…

"I found water. Now I just need something to hold it."

"Where are we again?" Alex's voice was slightly stronger.

"Library. There are books scattered around, but someone made an attempt to tidy up in the past decade or so. But, I don't think any activity is recent." Michael found another light switch and saw that the visible windows were covered with heavy metal shutters. "A high quality library. We'll be safe here for the night."

"If it's fancy, there should be vases and bowls around." Alex remembered General Reisen talking about his university library once, and that had been part of his story.

"Yes, pottery. I could use that." The sounds of doors opening, glass tinkling as it knocked together, and then Michael's pleased huff at finding something washed over Alex, reassuring him he was out of Gabriel's clutches, and back where he belongs.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Michael gently implored Alex. 

"When did I…no, I know…a healing sleep comes when you're safe…yeah, yeah, yeah." Alex wriggled an arm out of his blanket cocoon and wiped his face. "Do you know where we might be?" He rubbed at his eyes until two strong hands pulled his hand away and slapped a wad of wet paper toweling into it.

"Use that. Carefully. Sand will scratch the retina of your eye if you grind at it like you were." Michael didn't stick around, walking back and forth for several minutes while Alex carefully cleaned the sand out of his eyes and ears. "As to our location? We could be anywhere. The sand was blinding."

"Ah, yeah, that's the ticket." Alex felt better not having grains of sand, and other things, in places they shouldn't be. He blinked, squinted, and then looked around more intently. "This place isn't torn up." He unwrapped the blanket and gingerly hauled himself up the nearby wall.

With one hand on the wall, he looked around the large entrance. "The doors are real wood. There's, there's very little broken." Alex hugged the wall as he walked farther into the main room, marveling at the fortification and the cleanliness. "Did you find any bodies?" he called out.

Michael came out from between the stacks, arms filled with blankets and what looked like a basket. "No, but this must have been a strategic location for someone. There are bins with trash in them, but they are sorted and set aside. The closets in the back of the building are stockpiled with rations and supplies for at least several months." He put everything down on one of the long wooden tables. "There are even books on strategy and defense, and of course, biblical reference…This is something I often wanted to create, but Vega's needs took so much time, I couldn't."

Alex nodded and pushed off from the wall. He didn't take two steps before Michael was at his side. Throwing pride away, he relaxed into the archangel's side. "Thanks, I might not have made it without you." There was a wealth of meaning in those words, and Alex hoped Michael understood all he _wasn't_ saying.

The arm around Alex's shoulders tightened and Alex breathed out a sigh. _Yeah, he got it._

~*~*~*~*~*~

_Who knew Michael was a raven in disguise?_

Alex leaned back on a makeshift mattress of blankets, and even pillows. On one side were the rations: MRE's and canned foods Alex didn't even know existed. Michael had put together a veritable feast, even deigning to finely chop the solids into bite-size pieces for Alex, and without a murmur.

On the other side were books. Just like Michael said: strategy, defense, in-depth biblical research that was far beyond anything in Vega. And right next to them was a trophy, a silver cup with two handles Michael called 'a loving cup'.

Right now, that loving cup was holding cool water. Michael leaned against the shelves for Mysteries and Thrillers, or so the placard on the end said. He'd taken off his coat, and his Henley, washing the shirt in the bathroom and hanging it over a chair to dry.

Alex was seated between his legs, leaning forward on his own raised knees, resting his head, so Michael could bathe him with a real towel dampened in that blessedly cool water. He could feel Michael's anger at the evidence of Gabriel's mistreatment, and he could feel the…concern… _love, something that sounded like Jeep's voice whispered_ …in every swipe, every pause. 

Being who he was, Alex knew he was a closed book, emotionally. Sex, yeah, he could do that, maybe even fall a little in love with Claire and Noma, but feeling _feelings_ , now those he shied away from ever since Jeep left him in Vega. Except…except around Michael, the person who'd fed him and watched over him, even when he didn't know it. Who'd cared enough to break his heart, but not cruel enough to break his spirit.

Cool air played over his washed back, the tattoos feeling lighter now that the blood and the sweat were gone. The sound of the towel being wrung out meant Michael was determined to soothe all of Alex's pains. "How do you want me now?" Alex asked, laughter threaded into his words.

Michael stopped moving and Alex held his breath and closed his eyes, hearing his words once more. _Had he just propositioned Michael? Would that be so bad?_

An eternity passed, the dull sounds from the sandstorm silenced while Alex fought to hold his breath. Then the towel was back, running along his shoulders and down each arm to his fingertips, slowly being used to guide Alex against Michael's chest so he could lavish attention on Alex's chest…and throat…and face. Alex's breath whooshed out of him when he finally relaxed into Michael's chest, the heat of the archangel's body even better than the wet towel.

"Did you really just ask me that, Alex?" Michael whispered into Alex's right ear. Alex responded by leaning his head away, offering his neck, a silent way of saying yes. Michael took the hint and bit the skin behind Alex's ear and sucked—hard—and then kissed his way to Alex's lips.

Hovering over Alex's parted lips, Michael spoke in a low growl, "If we do this…if we go down this road…you will be mine. You will be _my_ Chosen One and only mine. There will be no more Claire, no more Noma, no more Becca Thorn, no others…only us." He didn't move, suddenly a very tempting, very still statue, waiting for Alex's answer.

Turning his head and then his shoulders, Alex stared into Michael's changeable eyes, searching. _There!_ He saw just what Michael meant, and what he wanted, but…

"Will I be enough? All those women, whatever you have with Gabriel? Will I, me, Alex Lannon, not the Chosen One, just me…will I be enough?" This time, Alex held himself still, breathing slowly as he waited for Michael's answer.

Michael blinked slowly, like a cat basking in the sun. He drew in slow, deliberate breaths as he held Alex against his chest, looking deep inside himself, as he was now, not as he had once been.

"When I look at you I see hope and a future, not just for humans, but also for angels. When I took this body I didn't understand just how…separate…my being had been. The rush of emotions, something I never experienced in my whole existence, it was explosive and…" he leaned his forehead against Alex's forehead, "confusing. Archangels do not understand confusion. Our path has always been guided by our Father. Suddenly, I made my own decision: I fought not for Father's good but for the lives of his greatest creations. It was more than I could comprehend." He closed his eyes, his eyelashes brushing softly across Alex's skin. "I tried to find my course any way I could."

"Then, I held you in my arms for the first time. You were…vibrant…it was like holding Heaven in my arms and I found I would do anything for you. Unfortunately, I was still an archangel, on Earth, and gifted the one thing I had never had to contend with: fallibility. I made mistakes, and I…"

"…and you thought you'd fucked up your chance." Alex let his head tip back so he could press soft kissed to Michael's closed eyes. "So, what's changed now?" Alex wriggled around even more, and nestled his head into Michael's throat. He watched his left hand rub up and down Michael's chest, unconsciously teasing Michael with each brush of his fingertips. "Yeah, I grew up, and if I let myself think about it, I might just become celibate, but yeah, I found out you were better to jack-off to than any woman."

Michael tucked his chin and rubbed it over Alex's hair. "Look at me, Alex."

Alex moved until he could look into the archangel's eyes again. 

"I have existed longer than this universe. I watched Father create this world and all the beasts and every plant upon it. I cut off my wings to save His greatest creations because they weren't perfect like the angels, but because they strove to be. They…you humans…you were brilliant. And I couldn't reconcile Gabriel's hate with Father's hope." He drew in a deep breath and continued, "Then I met Charlie…and Jeep…and finally, you." He wrapped his arms closer around Alex, breathing him in. "You were…celestial. I fell in love for the first time then." He licked his lips and stared deeply into Alex's eyes. "I have never fallen out of love with you." He leaned closer, tilted his head, and pressed a closed-mouth kiss to the corner of Alex's mouth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex felt as if he fly, and without wings. He could hear the truth in Michael's words. He reached up and smoothed his left hand over Michael's bicep, marveling at the steel under that velvety skin, finally letting himself _believe_. 

"You ever hear of a hand-fast? It's a kind of marriage." Alex was surprised those words came out of his mouth. Actually, sometimes he _did_ surprise himself at what he'd picked up from other people's conversations.

"It is an honorable form of marriage," Michael replied slowly.

"Can we do that? Make it official?" Alex asked just as slowly.

"Would that ease your mind, Alex?"

Alex rubbed bigger circles across Michael's chest and shoulder before answering. Then he nodded, sharply. "Yeah…yes. I trust your word, and your honor." He couldn't take his eyes off of Michael's nipple stiffening under his touches.

"Would it bother you if I made love to you before hand-fasting?" Michael shifted Alex across his body, letting gravity press his beloved's body into his, to feel how much he loved him, desired him. "On my honor, I find I cannot continue this conversation without—"

Alex's chuckle interrupted Michael. "…without what? Me sucking that cock throbbing under my ass?" He wiggled and was rewarded with a lusty groan and a full-body shiver. "The two of us rubbing against each other, all…night…until the smallest breath of air will set us off?" Alex turned his head and placed biting kisses under Michael's chin and up to his ear. "Me screaming out your name, over and over until I can't walk and you can't fly?"

Suddenly, Michael twisted to the side and pulled Alex up his body. His burning, throbbing, very sexually-interesting-in-Alex body. His very-turned-on-by-Alex's-mind-and-body. He held Alex—his soldier, his friend, and soon-to-be lover…and future husband—tightly, rutting against the thigh that had slipped between his long legs.

"You are love," Michael breathed between kisses everywhere but on Alex's lips. He felt… _he felt!_

"Damn, Michael…"Alex whined. "Kiss me already." He reached up and caught Michael's face between his hands, the tattoos glowing on his skin. "We make love, we hand-fast, we save the world. Deal?" he asked against Michael's lips.

"Yes…yes…yesss…" Michael hissed out before attempting to crawl inside Alex's body via his mouth.

Alex didn't have a problem with that, tortured body be damned. He tried to do the same thing to Michael. Happily, they met somewhere in the middle.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Lube…we need lube…" Alex groaned. He'd only thought of Michael in the same way he'd thought of Claire and Noma, but this…this was a thousand, a million times better…especially with lube. 

"Lubrication…yes, yes, I can find that." Michael stole another kiss before rolling up onto his feet, fairly quivering in place. Once he was upright, his wings literally popped into existence, almost pushing over the bookcases as he rushed to the storage rooms in the back of the library.

Alex splayed out on their messy nest of blankets, the pillows set off to the side. He was thankful for this…this holiday from the war. Alex closed his eyes and remembered a conversation with General Riesen: "Snatch your pleasures while you can, Alex. Find someone to love, who loves you. Soldiers need a reason to fight." He opened his eyes when he heard Michael's exultant cry, though, since he'd never heard it before, he was really just speculating.

Then there was an angel, an archangel, black wings filled with starshine and fluttering in a nonexistent breeze. For the first time since he'd know him, and started fantasizing about him, Michael was vibrating with desire: his hair was wild around his flushed face, his eyes literally sparkling as they roamed over Alex, and his cock, glorious perfect, bobbed with every wave of his amazing wings.

"You are a miracle," Alex breathed out finally. He reached up and Michael gracefully knelt at his side. "My miracle."

"As you are mine." Michael's voice had a new depth to it, notes that made something inside Alex vibrate in tune with it. It was like finding something you didn't realized you'd lost until then. He held out his right hand. "I found lubrication."

The seriousness of the moment was gone, but Alex still felt as if Michael was filling up the empty spaces inside of him, figuratively. "Hey, then, let's see how we fit together," he said, arms open in invitation.

"With the greatest pleasure." Michael lay down along Alex's side, the lube set above Alex's head, within easy reach. Kissing commenced, and both of them seemed to breathe easier in each other's arms. 

Kisses, pleas, imprecations, Michael was amazed at Alex's language and flexibility, especially after a beating at Gabriel's hands. Then Alex reached down and—when had he put lube on that talented hand?—curled his fingers around Michael's cock and began pulsing his hold around it. He also curled into Michael, riding Michael's right thigh in counterpoint to his archangel's own motion.

Michael had had many human lovers, but no one like Alex. His touch was a benediction and the creation of…Creation…at the same time. His wings stretched out across their nest, quivering and flexing as Alex brought him close to the edge, time and again. Once, he gripped Alex's hips tightly—too tightly, he thought—and Alex stopped that fantastic stroking.

"Hey, hey, look at me." Alex used his free hand to direct Michael's face down, so he could look into Alex's blue, blue eyes. "Look at _me_ ," he softly commanded.

The tattoos glowed blue-white under Alex's skin. They looked blurry, spread out across muscle and bone. Michael concentrated his senses with great difficulty and looked inside Alex. 

"You are…they are inside you as well," Michael whispered with a hitch in his voice. He still held Alex's hips too tightly, but there was no injury. God's words protected his Chosen One.

Alex began the pulsing stroke once more. Soon, Michael was flying, and he didn't need his wings. Alex followed after him with God's blessing falling from his lips.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The sandstorm that had driven them to seek shelter still howled around the library's walls. The couple locked inside didn't pay it any consideration. Tho', if Michael had been less distracted, he would have marveled at the ancient blessings laid over the heavy stones and bricks. 

The old building, built to last, had been reinforced by solid construction and faith. Nothing would touch those inside its walls.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex woke up sticky…and very warm. His face was pressed into the crook of Michael's throat, so he rubbed his nose up and down that lightly bruised column. Then, he hummed, which served to bring Michael to full consciousness and had him running one hand up and down Alex's ribs. 

"Good morning, I think," Michael murmured into the top of Alex's head.

Alex chuckled into Michael's throat and kissed his Adam's-apple. "Yeah, it's pretty good for me, too." He slid his leg over both of Michael's, remembering how it felt to control all that power. "We are so doing that again."

Michael shifted under Alex until his Chosen One was once more on top of him, a warm and inviting tattooed quilt. With Alex re-situated, Michael put both hands behind his head, enjoying the sight of his lover's lazy smile as put his head in his hand and rested his elbow on Michael's chest. "Yes, and many more things." He watched a strand of the tattoos move across Alex's cheek and across his lips.

The words sparkled as they flowed over Alex's lips. He licked them, eyes looking straight into Michael's. " _Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life,(1)_ "Alex said carefully, in Lishepus. The tattoos flared with internal light, the words he spoke almost floating in the air between them

There was visible power in those words and it struck a forgotten chord inside Michael. He replied, in kind, " _Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (2)_ " So too did his words take form and hang over them, the power growing, building.

Alex reached out and clasped his left hand with Michael's. "I love you. I trust you. But, I am fallible, and I might need convincing sometimes."

Michael gently squeezed Alex's hand. "I hold you in my heart, always. I will always strive to protect you with love and strength, but, I too am fallible. Sometimes, you will have to convince me."

The layer of words—good, clean power—settled over them. Alex took what felt like his first deep breath in ages as Michael inhaled at the same time. They grinned at each other and then kissed.

"That was…" Alex's voice trailed away with wonder.

"That was a blessed event, in every sense," Michael affirmed.

"Think we're hand-fasted yet?" Alex asked as he slid up far enough up Michael's chest to make it easier to press kisses to those high cheek bones he'd been admiring lately…always.

Michael's hands were smoothing over Alex's back and buttocks, kneading the muscles like a contented cat. "A benediction such as that makes anything else moot at this point. So, yes, my husband." Michael's smile was wide and bright, and like nothing Alex had ever seen cross his face. His kneading was joined by slowly rolling hips. He repeated, "My husband."

"Oh, yeah, yours…just like you’re my husband." Alex ground down against Michael's upward roll as his eyes threatened to roll to the back of his head. "A team, like always." He leaned up, using the leverage of pressing against Michael's broad chest, which meant his cock was pressing down even more exquisitely, riding ever-building crests of pleasure. "Love being your husband," he groaned as his hands slipped off of Michael's chest and he fell into a deep, tongue-tangling kiss.

Michael felt the love, God's Love and Alex's, joining, filling the last empty places inside him, inside his heart and soul. Perhaps, some would bleed into Gabriel…God and Alex willing. Then Michael bent his considerable focus on his husband, his mate, _his_ Chosen One and their shared pleasure.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Gabriel, you don't look so good."

"How observant of you, Furiad."

_Cough._

"Do you have something more to say?"

"We tracked them to the Northwest, but lost them in a sudden sandstorm. My scouts say the storm is weakening, but it will still be several hours before we can search the area."

_Smack!_

"What was that for?"

"For wasting my time."

_A boot heel scraped across stone._

"This storm? How long has it been raging?"

"Since Michael stole back the Chosen One."

"Does that seem…natural…to you, Furiad?"

"Hurricanes last days. Why not a sandstorm?"

_Smack!_

"My lord, why…?"

"Sandstorms in North America do not naturally last two days, Furiad."

_Leather squeaked as Gabriel sat on his cold, stone throne._

"Has anyone tried to penetrate the storm?"

"We lost four angels before I pulled them back. The area of the storm is vast, at least a day's flight from side-to-side. I would need at least two flights of angels to search it thoroughly without the storm's interference."

"Keep watch, then. I want to know the second that preternatural storm begins to falter."

_Wings rustled as Furiad bowed and left the room._

"What do you think you're doing, brother mine?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"General, there's no way this is a natural storm."

"And what do you want me to do about it, David? Pray to God that it stops?"

_A chair is pushed roughly across the marble floor of the senate chambers._

"What I want is to know what the hell is going on? First the supposed-Chosen One disappears, and then months later, our best weapon, Michael, does the same thing."

"Senator Whele, we've been over this. As long as the storm goes on, we're as protected as if both of them were still in Vega."

"Well, thank you, Counsel Thorn. I didn't know _that_ ten minutes ago."

_A fist slammed into a heavy desktop._

"What a goddamned cluster fuck!"

"Senator Whele! Constraint yourself, man!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hidden away from prying eyes and roaming eight-balls, Michael and Alex made love, did research, even discovered that Michael had a small length of text on his right inner arm, which when touched allowed Alex to rapidly transfer information—which when you thought about it was really inconvenient in the middle of a war…unless you were naked. Michael discovered the strength of Father's words as they were woven into each sinew and bone of Alex's body, once more reaffirming the rightness of their bonding. 

After making Michael scream for the third time the third morning of the sandstorm, Alex sat back on his heels between his husband's knees, wiping spunk from his lips with the back of his hand. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been reading that Kama Sutra while I'm asleep." 

Eyes closed, perspiration along his forehead and cheek bones, Michael let himself fall back on the pillow behind him. "I am but putty in your hands, Alex." He let out a whoosh of air when Alex flopped on his stomach. "Replete, even if, slightly breathless putty," his archangel said once he got his breath back.

"I've been thinking…" Alex's voice trailed off as he traced random designs on the slight treasure trail lying under Michael's now quiescent cock. "This storm isn't natural, is it? Somehow, we've been given time to…to become a couple."

Michael opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling molding, the art still on the walls, and then down to Alex. "Father went away, left us to our own devices. I do not know who else could affect Nature in such a way."

"That's the long-winded way of saying it might be Dad, but you don't know." Alex laid his cheek against Michael's hip bone, nose to cockhead. His words rippled through Michael's spent member, somehow reinvigorating it. Michael felt Alex's smile against the sensitive skin and couldn't hold back a shiver. He groaned when Alex licked him.

Then Alex put his hands down to either side of Michael and pushed himself up, onto his knees. He reached out to pull Michael into a sitting position so they were eye-to-eye. "All kidding aside, we're going to have to go back to the war sometime." He leaned closer and kissed Michael's lips softly, sucking the lower lip and then nipping it before pulling back to breathe.

Michael's large hands cradled Alex's head, holding it scant inches away so he could share a burning look with Alex. "I know. I don't know if this storm is Father's doing; yet, it's in line with many of the deeds you've read about in the bible." He breathed in through his nose, deeply. "We've been given the gift of time, of healing, so I am willing to have faith, not just in you, but that Father may be gone, but his agency still protects us." He kissed both of Alex's cheeks and then his lips, losing himself in the strength and suppleness of Alex's mouth.

When they parted, Michael spoke again, "I never understood human love before. Lust, yes, I understood that after several years, but I was always left wanting, and even lying to myself that it was enough." He pulled Alex's head closer so their foreheads could lean together. "You are unique above all in the world, Alex. You have the last pure heart and it is strong and resilient, and far too good for me. You have shown me true love that fills the empty spaces, that builds up and does not demand. Perhaps this is why we were given our time out of time…to finally find the spaces in each other that matched. To strengthen each other. So we can finally win the war."

Glancing left and right at the library stacks, Alex nodded between Michael's hands. "Yeah, I'm thinking we're on the right path now, one that both of us can stick to." He put his hands over Michael's. "And now that _that's_ out of the way, we still have a few hours. How long you can make _me_ scream your name?"

"Is that a challenge, my love?" Michael's smirk was devilish as he pulled Alex forward and then twisted so he's underneath Michael's very enthusiastic body. "It will be my pleasure, Alex, to find out." He pressed his cheek to Alex's and whispered, "It will always be my pleasure to love you."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"The storm seems to be abating, Gabriel."

_Boot heels click and scrape over the stone floor._

"So you've sent off scouts, Furiad?"

"Not yet. Abating does not mean less gritty."

_Smack! Smack!_

"Not funny, Furiad."

"No, my lord Gabriel."

"Don't test me, angel!"

"Why are you rubbing at your chest? Gabriel? _Gabriel?!_ "

~*~*~*~*~*~

"The storm's area is decreasing, sir."

"Thank you, lieutenant."

"Riesen, what are you going to do now?"

"David, has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?"

"Riesen!"

"Very well. I'll stand over here and look on your military greatness."

"See that you do."

"Captain, as soon as the wind dies down, send out the first scouts. We're going to find the Chosen One."

"Happy hunting."

"David, shut up!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

The library that had sheltered them for a week had become home to Alex and Michael. It had been a fortress, a bower, a research station, even a honeymoon haven to them. Alex was sorry to leave it.

Standing in the entry way, Alex look around, making certain they'd put back everything they used. Michael held a backpack from the supply closet filled with water and food, and even handwritten research. Alex patted the pocket on his right leg; he had a copy of the Kama Sutra there and in his other leg pocket, a copy of The Art of War. No, they definitely weren't walking, or flying, away from their hideaway empty-handed.

"Ready to go?" Alex called out.

"I've returned what needed to be returned and removed the evidence of our presence." Michael rolled his shoulders and his wings appeared behind him. "I'll go first."

Alex had his hand on the now-unbarricaded front door and chuckled. "Yeah, you bet you are. Bulletproof wings and all." He let his hand drop to the door pull, opening the door to a brilliantly bright morning. "After you, husband."

Michael stepped out, wings mantled around him. Nothing moved in the sand-drowned street. Oddly enough, the steps of the library were clean, as if swept off by someone just before Michael and Alex appeared. The air was crisp and clean, fresher than they breathed before. "We are alone." Michael's wings came to rest behind his back as he turned to watch Alex exit the library, pulling the thick door behind him.

"Hope no one else takes over our love nest," Alex joked.

"Put your hand on the door and think, 'Open only to my hand.'" Michael had a theory that if Alex could seal the library, then what the tattoos had shown them just might be more than possible; winning could just be probable.

Alex put his hands in the middle of the door and thought, "Open only to my hand. Open only to my hand." The tattoos on his arms began to writhe and condense across the backs of his hands and then flowed onto his palms pressed against the thick door. A feeling of solidity and heat gave way to sudden coolness. Alex blinked as the tattoos flowed back under his cuffs. He stepped back, staring at his hands. Then he pushed against the door and it didn't budge.

"Ah, how did I just do that?"

Michael cocked his head in that avian way he had and climbed the stairs. He reached out and pushed Alex's hands together between his own. "After these days, our time together, I thought you could do this. It is defensive and very much in line with your role as a protector." He brought their joined hands up to press a kiss to Alex's knuckles. "I am pleased that I was correct."

Alex laughed, something he seemed to be doing more often the past week. He took a deep breath, leaned up and kissed Michael's smiling lips. "Well, let's get this show on the road, then. Gabriel's Aerie or Vega? Which will it be?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

In his citadel, surrounded by the dogs of Heaven and his angelic army, Gabriel lay as if dead.

"How could this happen, Furiad?" Raziel demanded.

Furiad snarled at the other angel. "What, the angel of secrets doesn't know something?" The warrior angel stalked from Gabriel's bedside to the open windows, furiously grinding his teeth. "No one knows, Raziel. It was sudden and swift." He quivered in place, arms crossed over his chest, wings mantling around him.

Suddenly, an angel flew into the room—through the door. Well, flew would be a relative term: he was more likely thrown through it in lieu of opening it properly for Michael and Alex.

Furiad whirled, wings opening in battle-ready mode, sword in his hands. He screeched his war cry and charged forward. Only to be repulsed by an invisible wall in front of Alex. Raziel sidled toward the destroyed doorway, then Michael appeared, arms crossed over his chest. "Going somewhere, Raziel?

Empty hands held out in front of him, Raziel stood stock still. "I am not a combatant, Michael. I have not aided either side." He glanced over his shoulder, toward the bed where Gabriel still lay, silent. "Really, this is not what you think."

Michael leaned against the wall, watching Alex push his invisible defense farther into the room, crowding Furiad into a corner. "It's not what I think, Raziel. It's what Alex thinks. And you'll be talking to him soon." He indicated Alex exhorting Furiad, now pressed so close to the corner of the room he couldn't maneuver his wings or sword. "As you can see, he's very determined to end this conflict." Furiad let go of his sword with a sneer and a nod at something Alex said, and then he put his hands up.

The defensive shield Alex had created became visible with a shimmer and then it was gone. The only other people in the room were an unconscious archangel, his husband and an unknown, frankly wild-eyed angel. Alex rolled his eyes and snickered at Michael's innocent look. "Hey, I don't know you, but since Michael's babysitting you, I guess I will soon, eh?"

Then, Alex got serious. He squared his shoulders and approached the bed. If there had been any less color in Gabriel's cheeks, he would have been the effigy of an storybook dead knight. "Never thought I'd see you so still, Gabriel," Alex murmured to himself. He pushed his sleeves up, revealing the tattoos shimmering and swirling around his forearms, their energy finally visible to anyone watching. Words appeared and reappeared, instructions that were so clear to Alex, he just had to smirk like his husband. "So, let's do this, shall we?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Raziel, the keeper of secrets, the actual silence of the tomb, had never been frightened or fearful, but he realized things had changed. The human, the Chosen One by all accounts, was powerful, and evidently now knew how to use God's last words.

The boy, man, was bathed in the celestial glow of Heaven's dawn as he stood over Gabriel's unmoving body. Tendrils of energy made up of God's words poured from his hands and over Gabriel, seemingly melting into the archangel. The room grew warm and the incongruous scent of almonds and pears filled the air. Alex was muttering in a language neither one could decipher.

"What is he doing?" Raziel asked in a whisper.

"He is determined to fix Gabriel, without bloodshed." Michael leaned into the wall and stared Alex's stiff posture, the concentration in every line of his body. "He does not want to start off married life killing his closest brother-in-law." 

Raziel's eyebrows were so high, they met his hairline. "Archangels do not marry. That is no secret," he sputtered.

Michael's eyes crinkled in an all too human smile. "You try telling that to Alex and you'll get your head handed back to you on a platter." He hummed slightly. "This will be no secret, Raziel, but he can commune with Father's words, and he has the purity of heart to want to share that knowledge with all."

" _Got it!_ "

"As you can see, he's very determined." Michael straightened up from the wall and stood next to Raziel. "Tell the others that Alex has come into his power, Raziel, and that he and I will finish this conflict, one way or another." With those last words, and a pat to both of his sheathed swords, he walked toward Alex, and his awakening brother.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I feel like I've eaten a chicken, feathers and all…"

A cool hand pressed against his forehead. "You'll live."

Gabriel winced as he surfaced from the depths of sleep. Something was nagging him. He pulled his arm from under his covers and attempted to put his hand on his head. "Oh, Father…I'm in hell."

"No such luck, Gabriel. You're awake in your reality." Alex pried an eye open and laughed when Gabriel weakly turned his head away. "Seriously, time to wake up."

Wriggling up his pillows, and begrudgingly saying _Thank you_ , Gabriel opened his eyes. Only to see his bedroom doorway destroyed, the Chosen One looming at his bedside, Michael actually smiling at him, and Raziel just looking interested.

"To what do I owe this visit, Alex? Brother dear?" Gabriel asked, licking his dry lips. He was surprised when Alex poured him a glass of water from the pitcher nearby. "Again, thank you."

Alex crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head at Gabriel. "Pleasure. Now, how are you feeling?"

Gabriel opened his mouth to give a flippant answer and paused. He felt…different. He looked at his hands, he clenched his fists, he rolled his shoulders. Alex just stood at his bedside, an unwavering pillar of…of strength as Gabriel categorized his separate parts. Then he stilled and rubbed at the area above his heart.

"It doesn't hurt so much," he finally said. He rubbed harder as if to give the lie to his words. "It's not as empty." Gabriel looked up at Alex and then at Michael who'd drawn closer. "I feel my twin again," he said in wondering voice.

Michael gracefully knelt down and grabbed Gabriel's hand. "As I have always felt you, my twin." He beamed up at Alex. "Thank you, my Chosen One."

Gabriel reveled in the presence of his brother, physically and psychically. Then, Michael's words repeated themselves in his ears. " _My Chosen One?_ " he asked in a bemused tone of voice. "What have you done, Michael?"

Alex knelt at Michael's side and put both his hands around Michael and Gabriel's clasped ones. He let the tattoos do their thing and flow from his hands and onto the archangels'. He held on as the brothers felt the power that Alex had been living with for so many months. From the shocked look on Michael's face, he was certain he'd never felt such a thing when he'd carried the tattoos. From the awestruck look on Gabriel's face, well, yeah, he'd be attracted to power, but then it changed as did Gabriel's awe. Determining they'd had enough of God's tough love, Alex brought the tattoos back to their home on his skin.

Once the power was thrumming under Alex's skin, he took a deep breath and let go of the archangels' hands and leaned into Michael's side. "So, are you ready to talk about it?" Alex asked tiredly.

Michael put his arm around Alex and pressed a kiss to his messy hair. "You need sustenance." He saw Gabriel's shocked look and just grinned. "Yes, Gabriel, he is _my_ Chosen One, and my husband. Our Father's works are full of wonder." Alex chuckled at his side and then pushed against the mattress to stand up.

"I need to sit down just as much as I need food, so, yeah, there's a couch." Alex stretched his back as he made his way to the other side of the room. He dropped onto the cushions and leaned his head back. "Talk among yourselves. I'm just going to take a rest." He waved a hand vaguely in their direction and closed his eyes.

The two archangels drew closer, keeping their voices down. 

"How did you do this, Michael?" Gabriel whispered harshly.

"I did nothing but let love into my heart, Gabriel," Michael whispered back.

"Oh, like hell you did," Gabriel shot back in a hiss. "He didn't have any control of Father's words before you took him. Now, you waltz in like your old self with a savior in tow, and where are my guards, my angels? How did you fight through all of them?"

Michael huffed and sat back on his heels, his hand still holding Gabriel's. "We were given a gift, Gabriel, of time out of time, and of the best of God's love. He is who Father created, the Chosen One. He has the power to sweep aside your army and my swords are his. So, really, asking how we got here is an exercise is stupidity. And I know you are not stupid by any measure…General."

Gabriel had the grace to avert his gaze. When he tried to pull his hand from Michael's, he found it crushed in Michael's harsh grasp. "Oh, no, Gabriel, no more turning away, no more stockpiling spite and venom. Alex proved himself to your angels, sparing far more than I ever would. You will always be my Heart, but he is my Soul, and he has far more grace within him than a whole Host of Angels. I would have laid waste to everyone get to you; Alex didn't kill one of your angels. He even succeeded in a mass eviction of your eight-balls while coming to your aid." He looked over at Alex, head thrown back, a light snore coming from between his lips. "It's the humanity of him that keeps me from razing this pile to the ground."

Gabriel finally wrenched his hand away from Michael. "Then you would have been rid of me. That's how you win a war, by killing the general." He turned away from Michael, from the sight of a vulnerable Alex, from triple-damned hope.

Neither one of the archangels heard Alex get up from the couch and come back to them. Gabriel's first indication was his mattress dipping and an insolent Chosen One flopping at his side. "Since you won't let me take a nap without throwing a hissy fit, I'm here to mediate." Alex's voice was gravelly, indicating whatever he'd done to Gabriel had been exhausting.

"Alex, should I take you away from here?" Behind Gabriel's back, the sound of kissing made him fake-gag. Then he was slapped in the back of his head.

"You started this war, Gabriel, you don't get to dictate how it ends, or who gets kissed when," Alex said with a chuckle. "By the way, I notice you haven't tried to kill either of us yet. It's going to take some time, but, you're going to be all right." Alex's right hand appeared over Gabriel's shoulder, the tattoos swirling and the stopping before Gabriel's eyes, forming into words even he could read: _You are loved, my son, my Gabriel._

Gabriel grabbed Alex's arm and hauled him over his shoulder. "You lie!" he cried out, sudden tears almost blinding him. "You lie…"

Alex lay on his back, right shoulder almost dislocated by Gabriel's abrupt action. He felt Gabriel's tears against his arm, felt the sobs wracking the archangel's body. He also felt Michael's shock and raised his head just high enough to make eye contact. "Can you get him to ease up on my arm?" 

Michael climbed onto the bed and spooned behind Gabriel, massaging his twin's back and murmuring in Lishepus. The tension on Alex's arm eased and allowed him to scoot closer to his brother-in-law—that thought almost broke Alex's mind before he ignored it and kept scooting.

As Michael murmured into Gabriel's ear, Alex patted his chest. "Hey, hey…it's going to get better, Gabriel. I can help now. And Michael's here, he'll help too. Nobody has to die today." That surprised a choked laugh from Gabriel.

"Nobody has to die today," Gabriel repeated, a tad hysterically. Alex didn't hesitate; he turned over onto his side and hugged Gabriel, startling him, and his brother. He held on as Gabriel began to writhe and yell. Michael wrapped his longer leg over Gabriel's still covered ones and his arms around his brother's torso, clipping Alex and feeling nothing but love anyway.

"Calm, my Heart, calm," Michael pleaded. It was like wrestling a hurricane crossed with a tornado, all heaving, growling force going in twelve directions at once. "Please, Gabriel, please let Alex help you."

Alex calmed himself as best as he could, finding that center where the words were rooted inside him. Once he was there, he gave himself over to the power, nudging it along his arms and into Gabriel's heaving body. He followed the power as it searched out Gabriel's broken spaces: the tainted memory of his son, David; his disgust at all the potential humans had thrown away without a thought; his envy of human imagination; and his loss of God's love and attention. 

Every dark, silent space was illuminated. Alex felt like a housekeeper as he and the power swept out the detritus of hatred, of dark thoughts, and darker actions. On Earth, no one is perfect, something Alex had to keep the power from doing to Gabriel, so he left some grey areas, but they weren't hidden anymore, they were front-and-center where Gabriel could work on them and not ignore the lessons they held for him. He even found Gabriel's end of the link he shared with Michael; it was frayed and thinned, nothing like what Michael currently felt, so Alex set the power to repairing it, smoothing it out, strengthening it until it looked just like the end inside Michael. Alex almost wished he could put a bow on top of it, but realized it would be a bit much right now and withdrew himself and the power slowly, easing out of Gabriel and back to his own center.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Is he dead?"

"That is tasteless, Gabriel."

"Well, I mean, he isn't really moving much, is it? It's a valid question in this situation."

"Not helping, Gabriel."

"Besides, who said he could join our family?"

"Really? You're pissed that Alex and I bonded without your input? You have become very selfish, brother."

" _Alex..Alex…what's going on?_ "

" _I think I overextended myself, lover._ "

"Are you two talking about me? That is bloody unfair!"

" _You're certain, Alex? You only need to rest? Nothing else?_

" _Yeah…just…get me someplace safe…feels like this will be a long night._ "

"Gabriel, I need a secure room. Now!"

"Why?"

"Gabriel, my mate needs to rest. Undisturbed and safe. And I need to be at his side. A safe room. Now!"

"The room next to mine, turn to left. It has a private balcony, you won't be disturbed."

_The rustling of blankets shifting._

"Gabriel, see to your troops, and the humans now in your citadel. When Alex awakens, he'll want to talk to you."

"Michael? Tell the beastie _Thank you_."

"I will."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"General Riesen, sir?"

"Yes, son. Mack, is it?"

_Boot heels clicked together._

"Yessir. The last patrols have reported in. No new sightings of eight-balls or angels. No news on Alex Lannon."

"You a friend of Alex Lannon, son?"

"Enlisted at the same time, sir."

"Do you think he's deserted us, Mack?"

"Never, sir, never in a million years."

"What's your regular detail, Mack?"

"House Thorn, sir."

"Report to House Whele tomorrow morning. You hear anything regarding Michael or Lannon, you report it directly to me. You got that, soldier?"

"Yessir. Report only to you."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Gabriel!"

"Furiad. Why weren't you the one thrown through my door yesterday?"

"I was leading my flight on a search for Michael and the Chosen One. On your last orders."

_Smack!_

"What was that for? My lord."

"That's for insolence, and not being here to guard my door."

"Have you rounded up the humans yet?"

"Yes. Per your orders, they are not in the dungeons, but have been released on the plains, nowhere near any eight-ball encampment. As to that, my lord, there are none between this aerie and Vega."

_Boot heels crossing flagstones._

"None? Really…"

"There are no eight-balls in this aerie, and our spies in Vega and Helena even tell of a mass eviction taking place on the same day. I'm waiting on word from Delphi. Gabriel, if this is true, just how powerful is the Chosen One?"

"Furiad, I believe he might be strong enough to bring our war to an end."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Father."

"William."

"Isn't it amazing? The V-1's are celebrating in the streets. Even the military is reporting there are no eight-balls anymore."

"And you're buying that crap? There's no such thing as the Chosen One. The eight-ball numbers have been falling anyway, so that's nothing."

"The Chosen One exists, Father. You were there. I was there. We both saw the tattoos transfer to Alex Lannon."

_Glass slamming into desktop._

"Damn it, William, I thought you were more…worldly. Religion is a fucking con. I should know, I was a televangelist."

"But, true faith? I have enough faith for both of us, Father."

_Smack!_

"Don't lay that crap on me, William. The world is a dangerous place. There are no miracles going around."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex woke up in Michael's arms. He rubbed his face against Michael's chest, happy to note it was naked. He couldn't resist pressing a few kisses and a not-so-surreptitious suckle of his husband's nipple as he stretched. A strong arm captured him against Michael's side.

"I was…frightened…Please, don't do that again." Michael rolled over onto Alex, their hips pressed together. "I do not want to feel that fear again, Alex."

"You might have to, lover. I think I'm going to go through a few more episodes like that to set things right," Alex said softly. "I know you're always with me, but sometimes, you'll be my back-up and not my strong right hand. I think that's the nature of all this." He pulled Michael down for a deep, messy kiss. When they broke apart, Alex whispered against his husband's lips, "I know you'll always be around to pick up the pieces, no matter what."

Michael growled. "Yes, a million times, yes. Just…just don't leave me." There was something new in Michael's eyes, fear for Alex that went above and beyond anything the archangel had ever experienced in his existence, and Alex wanted to chase it far, far away.

"I'm all too human, you said that once, Michael, one time when you talking about me. And, even with your wings, so are you. We can die, we aren't invincible, but we can stop the war between humans and angels." The tattoos swirled over Alex's shoulders and arms, lifting away from Alex's skin to caress Michael's. "I can only share so much with you, but all I have is yours, forever." Alex pushed his hips up into Michael's, watching love and desire push the fear away.

"I am your sword, and your shield, your bulwark, anything you need, Alex." Michael held himself above Alex, teasing him by controlling the pressure against Alex's cock. "I may not understand exactly how Father's words work through you, but I know they too protect you." A fine sheen of sweat was visible on his cheeks at the effort to _not_ fuck his mate back into insensibility.

Alex reached up to cup Michael's face. Once again, his husband tilted his head to the side, pressing his cheek into Alex's left hand. "You know, I actually just woke up ravenous. Can you help me with that?"

Michael settled himself over Alex, as if he wanted to melt into him. "Yes, I can definitely do that." He kissed Alex's cheeks, mouthing his way to those lips…then they were exchanging each other's breaths, each other's moans. "You didn't mean hunger for food, did you?"

Alex laughed softly and raised his arms over his head, exposing himself to Michael's own hungry gaze. Michael turned his head to place open-mouthed kisses on the insides of Alex's arms, inhaling the scent of Alex's maleness with each breath. He used his legs to move Michael's to the outside of his and then rolled his hips up into Michael's belly, the pre-come on the head of his cock making it drag along that smooth expanse of skin until it bumped against Michael's own interested member. Soon, stretched out under his archangel, Alex was moaning—Michael had a wicked imagination, and their stay in the library had only given him more knowledge on how to make Alex fall apart.

" _Nguh!_ "

"Articulate, my love."

"Ohh…oh, yeah…"

"Shall I do that again? Just. Like. This?"

"I'm so close…"

"No, you frightened me. You have to pay a penalty."

"Mother fuck! I am so damned close! _Move!_ "

"Six hours you were insensate. _Oh, Father, you are wicked, Alex!_ "

"Are you going to tease me like this every time that…that… _What the hell? Lick that again, again!_ "

_Humming._

"This is what I'm going to die of, blue balls and—your fingers are so good inside me…more…"

"You are so hot inside, like the sun, Alex…burning bright…warming me… _Can you take one more finger, Alex?_ "

"Anything…I can take any…thing… _Oh, oh…so good!_ "

"Put your hands against the headboard, Alex." 

_The sound of a headboard hitting a stone wall._

" _Nguh…uh…uh…_ "

"So right…so…my own…my own…my own…"

_Large wings flapping wildly._

"Yours…so yours…fuck me…."

"As. You. Wish."

_Slapping, sliding skin and open-mouthed kisses._

"I can't…I can't hold… _Michael!_ "

"I have you, Alex. I will. Always. Have. You."

" _My love!_

Furiad stood attention outside of the room Michael had taken the Chosen One. If he hadn't been crimson naturally, he would have been after hearing—and feeling—their lovemaking. He swore that if he touched the door, it might crumble to dust under the energy those two released.

He tried not to flinch as he noticed Gabriel standing next to him, staring at that door. "Ahh, Gabriel, general…"

"We just experienced another mass eviction. My spy from Helena was winging here and flew over a herd of eight-balls. He said that half an hour ago, it suddenly stopped, no movement, no sound, nothing. Five minutes later, they dropped. But, there weren't any bullets or gases. Then, they began waking up, milling about, generally acting like humans again." Gabriel tugged his lower lip. "There were no signs of the dogs of Heaven. Nothing to indicate the herd had been anything but human."

Furiad stared straight ahead as he spoke, "Are you saying that Michael and the Chosen One fucked the dogs of Heaven out of a hundred people?"

Gabriel chuckled weakly. "I'm saying they fucked the mass eviction of over one hundred thousand people." He took a deep breath in through his nose and expelled it out of his mouth. "That is an awesome power."

"Gabriel, if this is true?" Furiad turned to look his general in the eye. "They really might be able to end our war."

"Furiad, don't you get it? It is _ending_. We're on the cusp of a new world, a _fucking_ new world." He chuckled at his own wit, ignoring Furiad's rolled eyes. "Well, since I won't be wiping humans off the face of the Earth for the foreseeable future, I think I have to change my plans for dinner."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"General! Sir!"

"Mack. You have news for me?"

"Sir, yessir. Reports came into Senator Whele about possible mass evictions all over the Cradle. He tore up the first one, but after three more showed up, he started yelling about goddamned Lannon and his fucking magic."

"Anything else?

"William Whele's been acting strange, so I followed him last night. Sir, I regret to report he is a Black Acolyte. I watched him lead a mass."

"That could explain his father's anger. By day, Pricipate; by night, Black Acolyte. That must be making David's head spin."

"I think you might be right, general."

"Mack, I want you to pull one or two more Archangel Corp members into this. The most trustworthy you can find. We have to know more about young William's two-faced actions."

"On it, sir. Anything else?"

"On your way out, have my secretary call David Whele."

~*~*~*~*~*~

_Slam!_

"So good of you to come so quickly, David."

"Your summons was…peremptory."

"Needs must, and all that, Senator."

"Cut the bullshit, Edward. You want something."

"Yes, I do. I want to know why you're trying to suppress news of the mass evictions of the eight-balls."

"How the hell?!"

"How the hell do I know? David, we built this city. You're not the only with spies everywhere."

_Grinding teeth._

"Why should we broadcast it around? The population will go wild if we tell them, and then we'll lose—"

"We'll lose what? Our exalted positions? Our power? It's time and done that we do, David. If the reports are true, this is what we've been fighting for."

"The older you get, Riesen, the stupider you get. Knowledge is power and I haven't spent the past two decades amassing it to for you squander it so foolishly."

"David…Senator Whele…the future is coming, whether you want it or not. We belong to the past and we _have_ to get out of the way."

_The sound of an open palm smacking down on a desktop._

"Fuck that, _General_. I'll see the Chosen One in hell first."

_SLAM!_

"You heard, Mack?"

"Yessir."

"Grab the other two and follow him. Senator Whele is becoming a menace to Vega."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Once Alex and Michael left the room next door to Gabriel, they were treated to several humans rebuilding the doorway to his room. "Any one see where I put that handsaw?" one of the workmen asked.

Alex saw it in the hallway, picked it up, and handed it to the man. "Thank—"

"The Chosen One!"

"It's really him."

"Oh, thank you, thank you."

Michael appeared behind Alex's shoulder and with a look had the thankful humans stepping away from the Chosen One.

"Well, you're welcome. You're all welcome. Just…just keep up the good work, eh?" Alex backed into Michael, who turned them away from the well wishers. Alex rubbed the back of his neck.

"You are perturbed, my love." Michael kept his arm around Alex's shoulders.

"That's something I didn't think about. It's…hero worship." Alex made a moue of distaste. "I'm not comfortable with that."

"Something I am very glad to hear, Alex. To crave that would be to pervert the power of God's last words." Michael hugged Alex to his side and then took his arm away. "We will soon be in the presence of many angels and archangels," he said, changing the subject. "I would have them see you strong."

Alex spun on his heel and dragged Michael down for a kiss. "Then, let them see you in love. It's your strength." He smiled against Michael's lips and then stood down, smoothing his Archangel Corp tunic. "Now, we're ready."

Michael shook away his dazed look but couldn't do anything about the high color in his cheeks. Squaring his shoulders, he followed Alex into Gabriel's great hall. Ranks of angels turned to greet them and Gabriel even stood on the dais. "Welcome, Alex. Welcome, Michael," Gabriel called out.

Alex muttered out of the side of his mouth, forgetting the preternatural hearing angels were blessed with: "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Because if this isn't real, I need alcohol. And lots of it."

Several archangels smirked as Michael cast his gaze over the congregation. He replied in a low voice, "Since I too see it, I suppose we should believe it."

Gabriel clapped his hands together, ignoring the comments and recalling everyone's attention to his presence. "Welcome, brother and sister angels and archangels," he said in a carrying voice. "Please welcome the Chosen One, Alex Lannon, and our brother, Michael." A roar exploded from a hundred throats and Alex took a step back, the feeling of hero worship pressing on him again.

Michael glared at Gabriel, fuming that he'd gone so overboard. Then he heard a song, true music of the spheres, drowning out the noise. Alex cocked his head to the side, unintentionally mimicking Michael as he listened, absorbed, and, from the look on his face, understood it. All the angels around them grew quiet, shifting their attention from Michael and Alex to a spot above the dais.

Hovering above his throne, Gabriel played a trumpet. To his left, two angels plucked a lute and a guitar. To his left, two angels tapped drums. Behind the quartet, a choir of angels—seven in all—harmonized with the tune, voices rising and dipping where Gabriel's tune led them. The music was rich with layers of voice and instrument, and ineffable angelic grace. It had never been heard outside of Heaven, and never by human ears. The song contained sorrow and anger, grief and vengeance, and then it rose up, swelled to fill up the great room and then the entirety of the aerie. Everyone who heard it cried, there was not one dry eye visible. It went on and one, a musical timeline of the Extermination War and this new phase put to music.

After uncounted minutes, the music became bright and hopeful, and smiles appeared on faces. The angelic musicians and the choir seemed to glow from within, the chords strong and clear. Then, human voices rose. Alex turned his head and saw a crowd of humans behind him, vocalizing with Gabriel's song. There was power in the joining of all their voices and it made the power inside Alex and on his skin vibrate in sync. He had to grab Michael's hand and hold on tight as the song swelled once more, fuller, greater.

It was too much for Alex and he turned into Michael's chest, hiding his face. There was too much. 

Gabriel, the other musicians, and the angelic choir came the end of the song, and the humans met them there, the song finishing on a high, clear, bright note.

In the hush of silence mere seconds after the music ended, a wave of blue-white light made up of God's words swirled around Alex and Michael and began spinning around them, whirling out ever-farther, through the angels and archangels, through the humans, out beyond the aerie, and seemingly through the Cradle.

~*~*~*~*~*~

David Whele stood looking at his lion, Samson. He was alone. Six hours earlier, he'd been a senator, a man of substance. Six hours earlier, he'd had a son, even if he didn't really love the loser. Hell, six hours earlier, he'd begun a coup!

He threw the decanter he was drinking out of against the lion enclosure, startling Samson and making him roar out a challenge. "Oh, shut up!" David shouted back.

"We're going now, Father." William stood in the doorway, a battered coat from some V-1 over his arm and a backpack on his shoulders. "You can come with us, Father…Dad. There are so many places open to us again."

David gritted his teeth and spoke to Samson. "The boy wants me to leave my home, my wealth, and go out into the desert. For what? For a fleeting feeling of hope?" He turned his head to glare at William. "Go on and beggar yourself. You always wanted to be a martyr, now's your chance." He resumed his study of Samson pacing back and forth.

William stared at his father's back, pitying him. But, he _was_ David Whele's son, and his goodness fought with evil on a daily basis. On his way out, he slammed the buttons that opened Samson's enclosure to the viewing room and then took a hammer to them before the door closed. He thought he heard his father screaming for his help. Too little, too late.

~*~*~*~*~*~

All day long, angels and humans were in and out of the aerie. Supplies were organized, search and rescue plans made and implemented, even scouting flights schedules and the information collated and disseminated, over and over. The end of the war was catching everyone by surprise.

Michael and Alex had been the eye of a maelstrom of biblical proportions, according to Gabriel, when asked. For six hours, the same amount of time Alex had been unconscious after healing Gabriel, they had stood together in the great hall, clasping each other. The angels and archangels had eddied around them, like a stream around a boulder, going on with the business of life while their saviors went about the saving of it.

Gabriel and Furiad had traded off-and-on watching over Michael and Alex, until the sixth hour, when the swirling energies finally centered on the couple and then into Alex.

"Oh, brother…" Alex groaned, now clutching at Michael's biceps, his forehead in the middle of Michael's chest. 

"Fucking brilliant!'

Alex reared back and looked up into his husband's face. It was…it was…beaming! With pride, with love, with sheer exhilaration of a job well done. It truly was fucking brilliant!

"Michael!" Gabriel exclaimed with a laugh. He ran to their side, directing them to sit on a nearby bench. "After the first hour, I was a bit worried, but as you two didn't seem to be falling down on the job, so to speak, we just went around you." He knew he was babbling; when Michael and Alex had been _incommunicado_ —so to speak—he had almost been bereft again. Only the sight of his brother and his…his brother-in-law…had been able to keep him focused.

Michael sent a wave of love toward his brother, raising an eyebrow when Alex silently added his two-cents'-worth. He took great pleasure in seeing Gabriel's worried face ease, and then his look turned quizzical as he realized there was more there than had been before. "Both of you?" Gabriel asked as he rubbed at his chest.

Alex leaned his head onto Michael's shoulder and smiled. "Well, duh! We're family." He stuck out his hand, waiting.

Gabriel bypassed the hand to pull Alex into a hug. "Welcome to the family."

"Gabriel, we will retire now. Alex is spent." Michael stood up and put out his hand to Alex, still smothered in Gabriel's hug. "If you don't mind, brother?"

"Ah, yeah, yes…all yours…" Gabriel hoped Michael didn't hear—or feel—the touch of envy he had of his relationship with Alex.

Before he stood up, Alex leaned close to Gabriel and whispered in his ear. "You don't have to envy us, Gabriel. Your turn is coming up." With that, he chastely kissed his brother-in-law on the cheek and let his husband draw him to his side.

Gabriel sat in the great hall for a long time, staring at nothing. When Furiad saw that the Chosen One and Michael had retired, he decided to do the same, leaving Gabriel to his thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex sucked in a deep breath and went back to winding his tongue around Michael's cock, even attempting to hum a bit of Gabriel's song as he did so. Michael's fingers wove into his hair, neither pushing nor pulling, just seeking a handhold while Alex pulled him inside out, with love.

Teeth carefully scraped just under the head of Michael's cock as lightly calloused hands curled around its base and fondled down-covered balls. Michael groaned, long and loud. He was so very glad his Alex understood his liking for a touch of pain during pleasure. Without conscious thought, his hips began thrusting upwards, pushing his cock deeper down Alex's throat.

Letting go of Michael's balls and his cock, Alex put his hands on Michael's hips to control the thrusting and relaxed his throat as much as he could, swallowing around his lover's wonderful cock for as long as possible. He was glad that Michael understood his need for pain sometimes.

Michael's incoherent groaning got even louder as his orgasm got closer. When he felt two of Alex's fingers push inside of him, he couldn't stop it. Alex's curling of those fingers pushed him over the peak, and Michael shouted out his love for Alex. 

Alex couldn't swallow all of Michael's cum, but he tried his best. His fingers left bruises as they pressed into the archangel's hips, something no one else outside of battle could do. Finally, it was too much, and Alex had to pull away, spunk dribbling down his chin. He smiled into Michael's unfocused eyes as he lapped up the excess, enjoying how the display seemed to reinvigorate Michael, once he realized what he was seeing. Alex got his wish when Michael growled something under his breath and, in a blink of an eye, had Alex underneath him, long, slicked fingers circling Alex's asshole.

"You tempt me, sorely, Alex." Michael pressed hard kisses to Alex's lips. "I must return the favor." He screwed his two fingers into Alex, watching his beloved's face for any sign of discomfort. When Alex threw back his head and howled, Michael knew his husband was ready for something more substantial.

Michael knelt between Alex's legs and set the head of his cock against Alex's asshole. "Alex…Alex…look at me," he pleaded. He wouldn't push inside that welcoming heat until he could see Alex's eyes. Mountains crumbled into the sea while he waited for Alex's attention. Then those blue eyes burned into his, and Michael slid inside Alex, coming home. 

Balls'-deep, hips pressed into Alex's, Michael held still, stretching out this moment of connection, staring into Alex's eyes. Alex's pleasure rippled along their bond as he also clenched his internal muscles around Michael's cock. "Exquisite," Michael moaned as he began see-sawing in and out of Alex.

The tattoos swirled between the two of them, tying them ever-closer to each other as they pledged themselves to each other, over and over. Then, Alex shouted for Michael to go faster, drive deeper…and Michael complied until he was bent over Alex's body as a supplicant before his altar.

"Oh, Michael…oh, oh, _fuck!_ " Alex cried out as his orgasm surprised him, ropy jism spurting between his belly and Michael's.

The heat, the openness of Alex's body pulled Michael into another orgasm as well. Spent…the very idea had Michael tiredly chuckling as collapsed at Alex's side.

Several minutes passed before anyone spoke.

Alex turned onto his side and snuggled under Michael's chin, his face in his husband's neck. "Better every time," he mouthed against that long throat.

Michael turned slightly, to better fit Alex to himself. "Yes."

"This is the easy part, you know."

"My favorite part, really."

Alex smiled against Michael's throat and kissed his Adam's-apple. "There still going to be battles to be fought."

Michael nodded above Alex's head. "I had thought so as well. But, you forget, now, you have a family, many of whom are your army." He urged Alex to share his pillow so they'd be eye-to-eye. "You don't only have me at your side, you have the Heavenly Host, or what remains of it, at your back."

Alex pressed his cheek to Michael's. "Don't let me ruin this, okay?"

"You cannot ruin this, Alex. We can only go on as we mean to go."

"You always get inscrutable after great sex, you know that?"

"And you doubt yourself. As I told your before, you are mine, and I am yours."

"A match made in Heaven."

"Yes."

"I love you, Michael."

"As I you, Alex.

_~~~ En Fin ~~~_

**Author's Note:**

> /|\V/|\V/|\V/|\V/|\V/|\V/|\V/|\
> 
> (1) Psalm 143:8  
> (2) 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
> 
> [Angels in Theology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_angels_in_theology)  
> —Raziel: Keeper of Secrets


End file.
